EDITORIAL: Social media’s role in college acceptances

Wednesday

Oct 9, 2013 at 12:01 AMOct 9, 2013 at 9:10 AM

We’re not breaking ground here.

By now, every user of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and similar sites should know better than to think what happens on social media, stays on social media. We’ve seen it time and time again: It’s as easy as hitting the “print” button or taking a screen shot, and that less-than-appropriate thing you said online can live on for far too long.

Especially for high school students applying to colleges right about now, it’s a lesson worth learning — and taking seriously.

Staff Reports

We’re not breaking ground here.

By now, every user of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and similar sites should know better than to think what happens on social media, stays on social media. We’ve seen it time and time again: It’s as easy as hitting the “print” button or taking a screen shot, and that less-than-appropriate thing you said online can live on for far too long.

Especially for high school students applying to colleges right about now, it’s a lesson worth learning — and taking seriously.

Students spend months carefully crafting the perfect essay, studying for standardized tests and filling out application after application. In the end, students know their test scores, writing and achievements will be judged on whether they meet the college’s standards.

But one area a student may not think about is whether their personal life, often broadcast on social media, is going to pass muster.

In the past few years, Facebook and Twitter have become critical sources for collecting information on prospective students.

According to Kaplan Test Prep’s 2011 survey of college admissions officers, 26 percent of respondents from the schools surveyed have gone to an applicant’s Facebook or other social-networking page to learn more about them, while 20 percent have Googled the student.

When Kaplan first began tracking the issue in 2008, only 10 percent of schools reported checking applicants’ social-networking pages.

Kaplan’s most recent study, conducted in October 2012, provided some startling results. The percentage of colleges that said their admissions team discovered something on social media that negatively impacted an applicant’s chances of getting into the school nearly tripled — from 12 percent in 2011 to 35 percent in 2012.

So, what kinds of negative posts on social media did admissions folks find? Status updates and comments that included swears or vulgar language; photos showing applicants drinking alcohol or partying; and photos and/or discussions of illegal activities — just to name a few.

In analyzing the results of the study, Jeff Olson, vice president of Data Science at Kaplan Test Prep, said checking an applicant’s “digital trail” may stem from a college’s desire to understand the true personality of the applicant.

“With regard to college admissions, the traditional application — the essays, the letters of recommendation — represent the polished version of an applicant, while often what’s found online is a rawer version of that applicant,” Olson said.

There is a growing population of people today who feel compelled to post every detail of their lives on social media. But we don’t want you, local college applicant, to be one of them. You’ve worked hard to present the best version of yourself on paper; why risk throwing it all away by being inappropriate online?

Think of your social media page as an electronic resume. Would you want a college admissions team to see your pictures from that house party you threw when your parents were out of town last weekend? Probably not.

But there are also some less-than-obvious posts that can hurt you. For instance, Kaplan’s study found that applicants who posted online about a certain college being their “safety school” were often turned down by that college.

So when it comes to chronicling your life online, be selective and be smart; what you’re posting could curtail your college options.

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